Task-Based Learning and Motivation of Young Learners in A Cypriot Classroom

Task-Based Learning and Motivation of Young Learners
in a Cypriot Classroom
1
Raphaella Demetriou
Ling301 Dissertation 2014
Department of Linguistics and English Language
Lancaster University
Abstract
In general this research project investigated how teachers in a Cypriot
Private Institute implement task-based learning for learners between the
aged of 6 to 12. The research data was gathered from class observations
and interviews from teachers. Firstly this study focuses on the
implementation of learning task in an L2 classroom, secondly, on the
motivation of young learners and lastly the differences between the age
groups.
The research revealed that task-based learning is not given the
appropriate attention that is required in Cypriot classrooms. More task-
based learning skills should be adapted in order to promoted students
speaking skills. The study also revealed that young learners showed more
enthusiasm in class than older learners as they were less likely to lose
their excitement and become easily bored.
2
CONTENTS
Abstract
Acknowledgement
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION
SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Young Learners
7
2.2 Motivation of Young Learners
10
3
2.3 Differences between younger and older learners
13
2.4 Task-based learning in Second Language
14
2.4.1 How language teachers implement language learning tasks
16
SECTION 3: METHODOLOGY
17
3.1 Learning English as a second language in a Cypriot context
17
3.2 The institution
18
3.3 Participants
19
3.3.1 The teachers
19
3.3.2 The students
19
3.4 Instruments
20
3.4.1 Classroom Observations
20
3.4.2 Interviews
20
3.5 Procedures
21
SECTION 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
22
4
4.1 How teachers implement TBL and the kind of activities YLs do
in class 22
4.1.2 How young learners get motivated in an L2 classroom
28
4.1.3 Differences between age groups when learning a second
language 30
4.2 Discussion
32
SECTION 5: CONLUSION
35
References
38
Appendix : Interviews
40
1.1 Interview TEACHER A

1.2 Interview TEACHER B
1.3 Interview TEACHER C
Abbreviations
YLs: Young Learners
TBL: Task-based learning
L1: First Language
L2: Second Language
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank all the people who contributed towards the
completion of my dissertation. First of all I would like to thank my
supervisor Mrs Judit Kormos who guided me throughout the preparation of
5
my research project. Without her help and advice I would have
encountered many difficulties.

Thanks and gratitude to the teachers of the institution in Cyprus for
allowing me to observe their classes and obtain all the necessary
information required.
SECTION1: INTRODUCTION
As a general rule, it can be assumed that the younger the children are
the more holistic learners they will be. (Phillips 1993:7)
It has been assumed that young learners learn a second language better
than older learners. They are enthusiastic, interested in experiencing a
new language and always prepared to enjoy activities, such as games,
songs, tasks in which they can create things and also enjoy speaking tasks
that have a communicative value. Most researches, according to Willis
(1996), agree that if someone wants to learn a new language with
efficiency, he has to follow three important conditions rules: the exposure
of the language, the use of it and the motivation. It is important to
encourage learners, especially when they are young, to interact in class
by using the target language. Interaction offers the opportunity to
6
students to acquire a variety of speaking skills they need in order to
manage conversations on their own (Willis 1996). Second language
acquisition takes place when the input has a meaning, when it can be
understood and when it is interesting to the learners. According to
Hadjikyriakou et al, there are many advantages when children start
learning a second language at a very young age. When they are still
young their language and personality are still developing and this allows
them to have more positive attitudes towards learning a new language
than adults (Hadjikyriakou et al:4).

Tasks can be perceived as activities that include the practise of
grammar, reading and writing. But there is another definition where task
is considered as an activity that has a communicative purpose and a
specific outcome, such as using the target language not only in the limits
of a classroom, but also in real life situations.

In such tasks where there is a communicative purpose, the importance is
on understanding and carrying out the meanings in order to accomplish
the task as well as can be. Learners can then practise the target language
in a meaningful way.
The aim of my study is to investigate how language teachers implement
task-based learning in a Cypriot classroom context, to see how young
learners get motivated and lastly to identify the differences which arise
from the different age groups.

Section 2 deals with the literature review where I introduce some of the
characteristics of young learners, discuss some basic concepts regarding
the motivation of learners and also the differences between younger and
older learners. At the end of this section I talk about the concept of task
-based learning and how teachers implement learning tasks.
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Section 3 deals with the methodology of my case study where in general I
describe how I collected my data (participants, instruments). In section 4
I introduce the results gathered from my observations which give the
answers to my three research questions and then discuss what I have
observed. Finally section 5 deals with the conclusion from the results
obtained from my research project.
SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
My literature review aims to cover the main topics of my research project
which are how L2 language teachers implement language learning tasks,
how young learners get motivated and what the differences between
younger and older learners are.

In the first section of my literature review I introduce the main
characteristics of young learners and in the second section I discuss under
what circumstances young learners get motivated. In section three I point
out the main differences between younger and older learners and the last
section deals with the task based learning in second language and how
teachers implement language learning tasks.
2.1 Young Learners

Learning English is very important and useful as it is the most commonly
used language in the world. The best time to start learning English as a SL
is at a very young age, because young learners can acquire a new
language much easier in contrast to an adult learner. According to Phillips
(1993) children need to learn how to learn. (p.6) Learning should not be
limited within the confinements of a classroom but may also be acquired
8
beyond these limitations such as being taught outdoors in order to gain
experience in different styles of learning.

Young learners can learn a language through different circumstances; they
have a great ability in enjoying themselves and can learn by having fun.
For instance when they enjoy themselves in an activity they get
completely focused and they wish to carry on with it (Moon 2000:6). As
reported by Moon (2000:7), if young learners enjoy the learning
activities, they will become more involved and this may increase their
desire to continue.
Another strong characteristic of young learners is that they are full of
energy, eagerness and enthusiasm (Scott & Ytreberg 1990) and enjoy
things like pictures, stories and games which increase their interest of
learning (Ur 1996:288). The good thing about children is that they have a
positive attitude towards learning and it is very important to praise them
and point out the usefulness of learning from day one in order to keep
their enthusiasm and willingness (Scott & Ytreberg 1990:3).

Phillips claims that the kinds of activities that are suitable for young
learners are games and songs with actions, total physical response
activities, tasks that involve colouring, cutting and sticking and repetitive
speaking activities that have obvious communicative value(Phillips
1993:7). The following are some of the different characteristics YLs have:
Most of them lack of consciousness when they speak a new
language (Mcllvain 2011:2)

They have a short concentration span (p.2)
They seem to enjoy lots of repetition, in particular when they learn
stories or when they learn new skills (p.2)
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They like to ask questions all the time, they are curious about
everything. (Scott & Ytreberg 1990:4)

They like working with others and also learn from them (p.4)
According to Mcllvain (2011) YLs have many interests but what was
observed is that they are mostly interested in themselves, their families,
food, toys and animals, so teachers try to plan tasks associated with these
topics in order to motivate and engage them. (p.4)

Motivation and engagement are two of the most important components of
learning. In different studies based on YLs it is observed that children
engage with physical activities such as action songs, games, describing
pictures, making things or watching videos which are useful for language
learning. When children enjoy such tasks they ask for more, or they
request to do it all over again. Thats something Ive noticed through my
own contact with children. Moon (2000) supports that children learn
through doing and get clues about meaning from the activity which
accompanies the language. (p.8)

The following subsection deals with the motivation of young learners.
2.2 Motivation of Young Learners

According to Petrides (2006) in foreign language learning theories, it is
suggested that motivation can be defined in relation of two factors: the
needs of the learners and their attitudes towards the SL. (p.2)
One of the most effective ways to encourage young learners to learn a
new language is to motivate them. The motivation of YLs plays a big role
because it is observed that over time children lose their enthusiasm,
motivation and eagerness to learn. In this case the role of teacher is
10
important as it is her job to encourage them by pointing out the benefits
and the usefulness of learning.

Moon (2000) claims that there are many different ways of motivating
children in order to learn a new language. For example, setting up the
right classroom environment by using attractive displays, motivating
young learners by using interesting and enjoyable tasks to captivate their
attention or by encouraging them to develop personal reasons to learn a
new language. (Moon 2000:3)

As said by Dornyei (1994) motivation is one of the main determinants of
second/foreign language learning achievements (Dornyei 1994:273). He
suggested different ways on how to increase young learners interest in L2
learning. Such as, emphasising what young learners can do whilst learning
a new language instead of what they cannot do and at the same time
encouraging them not to be afraid of making mistakes because this is a
part of learning. (p.281)

It has been also noticed that young learners are more motivated when
they engage with enjoyable tasks such as game activities, problem
solving, hidden information tasks, puzzles, identifying and matching tasks
or when sharing personal information as part of a pair or through group
work. (p.281)
According to Ur (1991) a motivated learner is one who is willing or even
eager to invest effort in learning activities and to progress (Ur 1991:274).
When a learner is motivated the teaching and learning becomes easier
and at the same time enjoyable and effective in all perspectives. Ur
reported on Gardner and Lambert (1972), who found in their studies that
motivation, is strongly associated with language learning achievement.
(p.274)
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Jones (2006) commented on Vansteenkiste et al (2004), who observed
that teachers are crucial in the motivation of young learners, by leading
them through the appropriate learning process. (p.2)

Nowadays, there are new ways of motivating learners and this can be
done through the use of technology. For instance, the interactive
whiteboard is an important tool for influencing learning in a positive way,
like engaging learners in a classroom, motivating and providing
enthusiasm as well as encouraging learners to participate and interact
(SMART TECHNOLOGIES 2004).

Motivation is separated into two types, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation deals with the interest and attitudes of learners
towards language learning. Wu (2003) points out that intrinsic motivation
involves enjoyment of learning a second foreign language for its own
sake.(p.502)
Ur (1991) introduces many ways of arousing the learners interest,
especially when they are carrying out a task.
First of all it is important to point out the goals of the tasks as it is
necessary for learners to be aware of them. For instance a guessing
game has a language learning goal of producing questions and also
a content goal of figuring out the answers.

The topics and tasks should be interesting in order to engage the
learners.
Game activities provide pleasure and fun.
Entertainment provides enjoyment and motivation (e.g. stories,
songs, movies, videos etc.)

All examples are taken from (Ur 1991:281)
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On the other hand extrinsic motivation deals with the influence of an
external motivation. Success and rewards are the two main features in
extrinsic motivation (Ur 1991). Students who succeed are more confident
and more likely to build up on their achievements. Success does not
necessarily mean, doing everything right, but it includes the progress, the
effort and the interest of the learner to achieve. Petrides (2006)
commented on Crookes and Schmidt (1991) who claimed that there are
two views that arise from learning a language, the positive view is when a
learner achieves and the negative view is when the learner fails. There is
a combination of these views as it is considered that motivation can
influence the performance of the students in both ways. (p.3)
According to Skinner and Belmont (1993), students who are engaged,
demonstrate a continuous involvement in learning a new language and
show a great effort in the implementation of learning different tasks. In
general they have positive emotions when doing a task. On the other
hand, some students might be disinterested. Such students are
characterised as passive that get easily bored or angry and give up easily
when facing difficult tasks. (p.572)

The next subjection deals with the differences between young learners
and older learners.
2.3 Differences between younger and older learners

Undoubtedly, there are many differences between young learners and
adults. Both groups learn languages in a different way, not only because
of the age difference but also because at some age stages, cognitive
thoughts are not completely acquired. It is considered through many
peoples experiences that young children learn language better though
13
there are other views that consider teenagers as the better learners. (Ur
1991:286)
According to Long (1990) older children acquire faster than younger
children (p.260). In addition, some studies have show that pronunciation
is learned better by older learners, but other studies reveal that the
advantage is actually in younger learners as they seem to learn
pronunciation more easily (Long 1990). Moon and Nikolov (2000) reported
that children are more successful than adults in acquiring the
phonological system of the target language and many of them eventually
attain native-like accents (Moon & Nikolov 2000:31). I noticed exactly the
same pattern during my observations, where I found the pronunciation in
young learners better than the older learners and they always corrected
themselves if pronouncing something wrong. Another big difference
between these two groups is that adults have a longer concentration
span. It is sometimes most difficult for teachers to get young children to
concentrate on specific learning tasks. Children would rather concentrate
and spend more hours occupied in tasks that draw their interest (Ur
1991:288). In addition, it is much easier to motivate young children than
older learners. As mentioned previously teachers can raise young
learners motivation and enthusiasm by assigning them with enjoyable
activities. Teaching adults on the other hand is really challenging, their
learning potential is greater than that of young children but they may be
considerably more difficult to motivate and manage and it is also difficult
to build up trusting relationships (Ur 1991:290).

There are factors that are likely to influence the attitudes of older and
younger learners. For example YLs attitudes are influenced depending on
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how the learning environment in the classroom is or depending on their
feelings towards the teacher. (Moon 2000)

Based on Moon (2000:16) it was observed that the main difference
between older and younger Spanish students was that the older ones
could see the need and the reason for learning English. On the contrary
younger students dont feel any need for English. Their attitudes are
mainly influenced on how the lessons are taught (e.g. fun).

Another important difference found in their attitudes is that young
learners are more enthusiastic about learning a language, while adults
lose their interest over the years. Moon suggests that this might be
because they are embarrassed by having to learn a new language or
might seem foolish in front of their friends.(Moon 2000:17)
2.4 Task-based learning in Second Language
Task refers to the different activities including different kind of exercises
such as grammar, practise activities and role plays. However tasks are
also considered as activities where the target language is used by the
learner for a communicative purpose in order to achieve an outcome.
(Willis 1996:23)
The goal of the teacher is to choose the appropriate tasks and topics that
will motivate young learners, captivate their attention and also help them
to develop their second language by avoiding any difficulties. According to
Willis (1996), a very important feature of TBL is that learners are free to
choose whatever language forms they wish to convey what they mean in
order to accomplish the task goals (p.24).

When children learn new words or phrases they feel the need to use them,
even if they dont know how to apply them in the correct way. Teachers
encourage young learners to communicate even if they say something in
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a wrong way, in order to make them feel secure by experiencing the
target language on their own. (Willis 1996)

As reported by Willis 1996 language is the vehicle for attaining task
goals, but the emphasis is on the meaning and communication, not on
producing language forms correctly.(Willis 1996:25)

There are many definitions though about tasks and Littlewood 2004
introduced some of them. He comments on Williams and Burden, who
define task as being any activity that students engage in for the
acquisition of a language (Littlewood 2004:320). He also refers on Breen
(1987) who defines task as a set of learning activities that can be simple
and short but also can be difficult and extended such as group problem-
solving and decision making. (p.320)

He also mentioned that Estaire and Zanon (1994) identified two major
categories of task, firstly the communication tasks where learners pay
more attention on the meaning and less attention on the form and
secondly enabling tasks where the major focus is on linguistic aspects
such as the grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and other linguistic
skills( Littlewood 2004:320).

A more complete definition of task is the one proposed by Skehan
(1998:95) who defines a task as an activity in which meaning is
essential.
There is some communication problem to solve

There is some sort of relationship to comparable real-world
activities.
Task completion has some sort of priority
The assessment of the task is in terms of outcome
(All examples are taken from Skehan 1998:95)
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There are many varieties of tasks; some of them are listing, ordering and
sorting, comparing, problem solving, role-play, sharing personal
experiences where students talk about themselves and creative tasks.
(Willis 1996:27)
2.4.1 How language teachers implement language learning tasks
One of the most effective ways of teaching a language is to engage and
motivate learners in the classroom. This can be achieved by designing
enjoyable tasks such as games, discussions, quizzes and so on (Wllis J. &
Willis D 2005).
Another important thing is that TBT encourages learners to build up their
confidence and promotes them to use language in the classroom without
having the fear of saying something wrong (Willis & Willis 2005:2). Once
they acquire a set of words the teachers role is to help them shape their
language by using more grammatical and complex features.

Teachers must be able to motivate their learners and organize activities in
their classrooms but they also need to know how to make clear enough
the important language features. According to Willis J and Willis D
(2005:3), the most important thing in TBT is the willingness to engage
with learners in communication and allow learners the freedom to use the
language.
They also noted that teachers need to prepare a task sequence and have
a plan before their lessons. First of all they need to start by choosing a
topic and then decide what will be the target task. The task must be
associated with activities that learners come across in the real world. The
17
next stage is to present a relevant vocabulary to the learners and explain
to them what they have to do in the target task (Willis & Willis 2005:23).
SECTION 3: METHODOLOGY
In order to collect my data I did a qualitative research were I obtained my
information from two sources, by observing L2 classrooms in a private
institution in Cyprus and by interviewing L2 teachers. I focused on how
teachers implement task-based learning in a second language context, on
how young learners get motivated and on the differences between the
different age groups.
3.1 Learning English as a second language in a Cypriot context:
Learning and knowing English in Cyprus is very important as it is
considered to be a useful language. According to the British Council,
English was introduced in public schools over fifty years ago and it is a
compulsory subject. Students in primary schools begin to learn English
from the age of 6 until the age of 12. Two years ago they used to teach
English from the 4rth primary year but now they established it from the
first year. The lesson is taught for 40 minutes four times a week. When
graduating from primary school some children wish to attend a private
secondary school where all the subjects are taught in English. As I
mentioned above English has its importance in Cyprus especially having
to do with educational and professional reasons. Without having an IGCSE
diploma of the English Language it is difficult to be accepted in many
occupations. For this particular reason children attend additional English
lessons in private or public institutions. In addition if someone wants to
study at a university in the UK, an IGCSE diploma is compulsory in order to
18
be accepted. Children attend institutions roughly at the same age when
they begin learning English at primary schools, but with the difference
that the English they learn at the institutions are more advanced than the
English learnt at school.
3.2 The institution:

Having myself attended both public and private institutions, I chose to
attend a private one to gain the necessary information required for my
research project, preferring the higher standards they offer in teaching. In
my opinion they have more experience in covering the students needs.
The institution is equipped with all the modern technological resources,
they provide interactive whiteboards, TVs, lap tops etc. It provides six
large classrooms each consisting of the following: one large rectangle
table that seats up to ten students with the teacher seated at the head of
the table. Apart from the teaching classrooms a computer lab is provided
where students can practise different online activities. They also have
attractive wall displays consisting of the students work and the walls are
painted in bright colours making the classroom an inviting and friendly
environment to be in.
The institution also collaborates with the University of Cambridge and all
the examination diplomas are sent from the Cambridge ESOL.
3.3 Participants:
3.3.1 The teachers:
The institution employs ten teachers who teach the English Language. I
observed five out of the ten as I wanted to see the different methods and
techniques each of them used in their classrooms. They all teach English
for all ages, from Young Learners (Starters, movers, flyers) to students
who are applying to colleges and universities (proficiency, FCE, IELTS,
19
IGCSE, and TOEFL). Three of them have been teaching English for over 10
years and the rest have recently completed their teaching practice and it
was their first year teaching at the institution.
3.3.2 The students:

All the students first language is Greek, although their everyday spoken
language is Cypriot Greek and they learn English as a Second Language. I
was mostly interested in observing young learners because when it comes
to young children they have more positive attitudes towards learning a
new language. My aim was to observe these attitudes towards the
different tasks they had during their lessons.

I have observed learners from the age of 6 to 12. The levels of the
students are, Elementary A (aged 6 to 7, Young learner Starters),
Elementary B (aged 8 to 9, Young Learner Movers), Elementary C (aged 9
to 10, Young learner Flyers), Intermediate 1 ( 10 and 11 years old) and
Intermediate 2 aged 11 to 12.

Each class consists of 10 students. Some classes I observed twice and
others just once. In general I observed 15 classes that were taught by the
same 5 teachers mentioned in the previous section.
3.4 Instruments:
3.4.1 Classroom Observations:
Before my observation I prepared an outline of what I wanted to monitor
and concentrate on. During the observation I was seated in the corner of
the classroom, taking down detailed notes and facing the learners wanting
to keep an eye on their attitudes and behaviour during the lesson. I was
very interested in what kind of tasks they do in each class, how much
time they consume for each task and what instructions were given by the
teacher.
20
I focused on the teachers actions in the classroom, for instance what
procedures they used for each lesson, if there was any movement in the
class, what materials they used and the ways in which they motivated
their students during the lessons. I was also aiming to monitor the
childrens behaviour and participation in each task and the interest they
showed. It was an exciting thing observing the children, the teachers and
gathering data on the interactions and teaching language process within
the L2 classroom context.
3.4.2 Interviews:
On the whole I have interviewed three teachers the same ones Ive
observed in the classrooms. Before the interview I introduced them my
topic and then explained the purpose of my study. The interview lasted for
about 15 minutes. I used a high quality recording device. The teachers
had to answer to 16 questions concerning the language learning of young
learners seen from their own perspective and experience. I first showed
them the questions which I had prepared as a questionnaire and then
proceeded with the interviews. I began by asking them what methods
they use in making the classroom a positive learning environment. I then
asked them a few questions concerning the motivation of the learners, for
example, how they motivate their students to want to learn English or if
they think that pupils, especially young learners, learn English as a second
language through being motivated. I proceeded by asking them questions
about the tasks they use in class and how much time it takes for students
to complete them. Then I asked them if pupils prefer to work in pairs,
groups or individually and if they benefit from practising together,
21
independently of the teacher. I also obtained information on the kind of
activities children prefer doing in class, for example, listening, reading,
identifying tasks etc. In addition I asked them about the setting up of the
classroom and the specific routines they follow with young learners.
Questions about which tasks engage childrens minds and which keep
them physically occupied were also included. I was interested in asking
questions about the conditions they normally create which support Second
Language learning and the main teaching methods they use in order to
make learning easier for children. Finally, I asked them about the
differences in attitudes between age groups and which are the factors that
influence the attitudes of younger children aged 6 to 12.
3.5 Procedures:
In order to proceed with my research I had to ask for permission from the
institutions administration office, and upon receiving their positive answer
I started work the very next day. When I went there I spoke with the head
teacher of the institution who told me which levels were applicable for me
to observe. After sorting this out, I had my first observation class where I
received a general idea of the language learning process in an L2
classroom. In total I have observed 15 classes. Each lesson lasted for an
hour and a half. During that time I was able to focus on the data I was
interested in finding for my research work. The observations lasted over a
period of two weeks.

After each lesson if I had any queries the teachers were willing to answer
all of my questions. I devoted my last two days at the institution in doing
22
my interviews with the five teachers where I also gave them the
Participant Information Sheet to fill out.

The next chapter will reveal the results of the classroom observations and
the information obtained from the interviews with the teachers.
SECTION 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In this part of the dissertation I am going to discuss the results of my
study through the classroom observations at the institution. Each section
in this chapter aims to cover each of my research questions.
4.1 How teachers implement task-based learning and what kind
of activities YLs do in class:
Students 6-7:
As it was the week leading up to the Christmas holidays, the teacher
prepared her lesson based on the topic Christmas. She started the
lesson off by introducing the children with new vocabulary and then
translated the new words from English to Greek. After learning the new
words, the teacher using the interactive white board, made them listen to
the super Santa song and asked them to spell the word SANTA. The
teacher kept pausing the song at different intervals in order to ask the
children if they knew the meaning of the words.

The learners also had an activity in which they had to say what they could
identify in the picture that they were given. The teacher told her students
23
to work in pairs and asked them to describe to each other what they could
see in the picture. Children at this age love pictures and are always drawn
to such activities. Then the students had a conversation with their
partners in the target language e.g. I can see a present, what can you
see in the picture?, I can see a star etc. The pictures included the words
that they were taught at the beginning of the lesson. By associating these
words with the items in the picture it was a lot easier for the students to
memorize them.
Children at the age of 6 and 7 like experimenting with fun activities, such
as solving crosswords, learning the letters and numbers by listening to the
songs, matching words to their corresponding pictures and many other
enjoyable tasks. The teachers aim is to teach young learners the
appropriate vocabulary in each lesson. They always have a dictation
session where they write down words translated from the L2 to the L1 and
are asked to practise and learn them at home. Children at this age also
love listening to songs or watching video clips, therefore, in order to
satisfy and motivate them, the teachers apply all of these methods in
each of their lessons. In some cases the children were allowed to be
physically active in the classroom. For example, I observed a lesson
where the students whilst listening to the nursery rhyme ten green
bottles were asked to stand up and act out the actions from the song.
They also had to come in front of the class and do some activities using
the interactive whiteboard, such as to solve crosswords, match the words
with their corresponding pictures, matching and colouring and so many
24
other interesting activities. The learners also loved the activities where
they could write on the interactive whiteboard using the special pen.
Students aged 7-8:

The teacher again begins the lesson with a vocabulary task. She first
tests them to see if they have learned the words they were asked to
practise at home from the previous lesson. The learners write down the
words in English and then translate them into Greek. After finishing with
their dictation they had an exercise from their reading book in which they
watched a video on the interactive board. The activity was to listen and
read, so each learner had to read the text out loud and then the teacher
asked them to translate it into Greek. The following task was based on
grammar, where the learners had to produce sentences using the Present
Continuous. Each of them had to come up with a sentence and then write
it on the white board.

In another classroom the teacher prepared a task sequence. The topic
she chose was about the schools in Cyprus. She chose a task that is
associated with the activities that learners come across in the real world.
First of all she presented the learners with the relevant vocabulary and
then proceeded to what they had to do in the target task. First she gave
them an example referring to her school and wrote some keywords on the
board e.g. Italian, English, P.E, art etc. Then she told them to ask her
some questions regarding her school by using the Past tense and using
the subjects she had written on the board. After finishing with the
questions each student had to describe their own school and say what
they like about it and what they dont like.
25
They continued with a task from their reading book, in which they had to
match the relevant words to their corresponding pictures. Later the
children learned different words related to food along with the adjectives
used to describe these words. Then they had to put the words and
expressions theyve learned in a text where they belonged to.

In the next task the students had to co-operate with their partners. The
teacher gave them some questions on a paper and they had to ask each
other about their eating habits. While doing the task the teacher was
passing around the class in order to help them.
Students aged 9-10:
The teacher started the lesson by telling the learners to open their reading
books. The unit of the lesson was You must stop. The first task was to
listen and repeat the words. Then they had to identify the words must
and mustnt from the text and circle them. Once they found them the
teacher asked the learners in what circumstances we use these particular
words and told them to give her some examples. She then wrote on the
board the words go straight on, turn left, turn right and stop and
asked them to imagine that someone was seeking for information on how
to go somewhere. The children had to work in pairs and use these words
along with the words must and mustnt to give the directions. The next
task was to listen to a dialogue and find the correct answer. There were
two pictures and they had to choose the correct one according to the
conversation that they have heard. In another lesson the topic was about
animals. The students had to look at a picture in their reading book and
explain what is happening. The students had difficulties with their
26
grammar while describing the picture as it was observed that they focus
more on the meaning. In the reading book there were some sentences
where they were asked by the teacher to read them out loud and then
translate them into Greek. After that, the learners had to read the story of
the The tortoise and the hare and were asked to answer some
comprehensive questions regarding the story. For instance, who reaches
the top of the hill first? , why does the hare think he has a lot of time?
etc. Before reading the story the teacher asked them to guess who they
believed was going to be the winner of the race. The next task was based
on vocabulary, where the students had to write the opposite meanings of
certain words that were written in the story. They also had a 10 minute
listening period where they listened to Toby talking about what Jim does
on Saturday morning and had to circle the appropriate answers.

The teacher then moved on to a grammar exercise by first explaining to
them how to use adverbs. She handed out a form and asked them to
complete the sentences by putting the adverb in the correct form. Later,
she tested them to see if they remembered the two tenses Present
continuous and Present simple. In their grammar books they had an
exercise where they had to choose the correct form, e.g. the vet looks
after injured animals every day/ today, Jim is taking his dog for a walk
usually/now, Rabbits always/at the moment eat vegetables. To make
sure if they understood the teacher asked them how do you know that
this is the correct answer? What is the keyword?.

In another classroom which Ive observed, the students had a speaking
task where they had to imagine that their class wanted to buy their
teacher a present. The teacher wrote certain words associated with gifts
27
on the board and asked which of those items they would choose and why.
After finishing that task there followed a similar one where they had to
work in pairs and decide which of the presents that were displayed in their
reading books, they would choose for a friend from abroad.
Students aged 11-12
In one of the lessons the learners had a test regarding common errors. It
was a test on errors that learners usually make in their essays. The
teacher chose the most common errors and prepared some sentences.
She gave them 10 sentences in Greek and asked them to translate them
in English. The next task was based on grammar where the learners had
to form sentences using the Past Continuous and explain in what cases
they use the Past Continuous and in what cases the Present Continuous.
In Cyprus, teachers pay a lot of attention on the use of Grammar and in
almost every lesson they have exercises based on the different tenses and
revise them every time in order to be used correctly in speech and when
writing essays. For each tense the teacher writes down the co-ordinating
rules that the students need to learn. After acquiring the basic rules the
learners have to create a short story in which they use the tense they
have learned and then read it out to their fellow classmates.

For the students of 11 and 12 years old the teacher prepared a 20 minute
listening session. The listening was divided into two parts. In the first
part the learners listened to 10 conversations where they had to choose
the correct answer based on the dialogue. In part two they had to listen
carefully and fill in the missing words from a text.

In a different classroom the students had a speaking task where they
talked about traditional food in Cyprus. The teacher separated them into
28
groups and asked each group to present their findings to the rest of the
class. Upon completing this task the students had a quiz on how much
do they know about customs around the world. First the teacher
introduced them the relevant vocabulary and translated all the words into
Greek. The learners had to work with their partners in order to complete
the quiz. For example the first sentence was about Japan, Sushi contains:
a) cooked meat or b) raw (uncooked) fish. The next one was about the
UK when two men greet each other, the right thing to do according to
etiquette is to a) shake hands or b) kiss each other. The children
discussed this with each other using the target language and exchanged
their ideas trying to figure out the correct answer. From the previous
lesson the teacher got her pupils to bring in pictures of traditional food
from different countries. She asked them to work in groups so that they
could share and discuss with each other information about the traditional
food they brought in. Then they had to write a paragraph listing the
similarities and the differenced they have found.

The teacher continued with a reading task where the learners read an
extract from a story about social interaction between an American and a
Chinese family and had to answer some multiple choice questions. She
asked them to scan the text first, locate the keywords and then read the
extract in order to find the answers.

At the end of the lesson the students had a 30 minute test on the Passive
voice. In the first part of the test the children had to choose the right
answer using the correct form. In the second part they had to rewrite the
sentences using the Passive Voice and in the last part they had to
29
translate the sentences from Greek to English by again using the Passive
Voice.
4.1.2 How young learners get motivated in an L2 classroom

Through my observations and interviews I noticed that young learners get
motivated by different methods and techniques used by their teachers, for
example by designing them enjoyable learning activities, playing
educational games with them and encouraging them to participate in
class by giving answers to as many questions as possible no matter how
incorrect their answers are. They do anything they possibly can in order
to capture their attention and maintain their interest throughout the
lesson. I have also noticed that they try to turn their classroom into a
positive learning environment by using video clips, playing songs, by
showing them English movies or by playing online educational games.

I have observed that young learners, especially between the ages of six to
nine relate better to physical activities such as songs where they can be
active, games, watching videos or matching words to pictures. These
types of activities trigger childrens interest as they all enjoy them and ask
for more. Young learners at the age of 6 to 8 seemed to enjoy songs as
they were all singing, smiling and clapping their hands whilst listening to
them.
They also loved stories, especially when they heard the story with the
tortoise and the hare. Ur (1996) points out that telling a story in the
foreign language is one of the simplest and richest sources of foreign
language input for younger learners. (Ur 1996:289)

The teachers at the institution were very helpful with their students, they
always praised them and encouraged them in every task. In each lesson
the teachers pointed out the benefits and the usefulness of learning
30
English as a Second Language. They chose topics and tasks that were of
interest to the students in order to engage their attention. Young learners
love talking about their personal experiences, their families, food and
animals, friends, hobbies etc., therefore the teachers applied speaking
tasks associated with the above topics in order to motivate and promote
them into becoming active participants in the classroom. Young learners
usually lose their excitement doing grammar tasks. They get easily bored
and become less engaged because they struggle with such tasks.
Movement is a crucial element to motivating young learners. To prevent
children from being bored in class, teachers get them up out of their seats
and do activities involving movement. In my interviews with the teachers
I asked them how they keep their students motivated. They told me that
they sometimes rewarded them with stickers when they did well with their
exercise work or gave them small presents, they use their work to
decorate the classroom and always try to be supportive by giving them
helpful feedback and by encouraging them to become better learners
each day. They also said that they are trying to associate the learning
experience with real life situations so that the learners could recognize the
different values of learning.

Being supportive is another way of motivating learners. The learners need
to feel that they have the appropriate support and help from their
teachers. At the institution the teachers were all very supportive and
each time the children had a task they would go to each student
separately in order to help them with any difficulties they encountered.

As mentioned in section 2, young children are sometimes influenced by
their feelings for their teachers (Moon 2000:16) and this is one of the
31
many reasons students like English. The children at the institute seemed
to love their teachers as they were cuddling them and made paintings for
them.
Overall, young learners get easily motivated and have positive attitudes
when they are about to experience themselves in a new language.
4.1.3 Differences between age groups when learning a second
language:
The differences between age groups vary and I came across some of
these through my observations. First of all the most important difference I
noticed, was the in excitement of learning a new language. Young
learners are more excited than older learners, because they are able to
experience learning through enjoyable activities whereas older learners
lose their excitement and become easily bored.

Students at the age of 6 and 7 paid more attention in class than students
at the age of 10 to 12. Attitudes are likely to change as learners grow
older because the teaching methods become formal and less interesting.
They deal with grammatical and more advanced tasks. I have also
noticed that young learners feel free to use English even if they use it
incorrectly and are always active participants. On the contrary it is harder
to get older learners to say something out loud as they might be
embarrassed or because they just dont wish to participate.

In their willingness to use the target language, young learners showed
more eagerness in class than older ones, leading to an overall greater
performance. They seem to practise more and their skills develop faster.
On the other hand students at the age of 12 participated less in class and
needed more pressure from the teachers to become active. Despite the
32
fact that learners at the age of 12 have a better knowledge in the use of
vocabulary and grammar, they are less eager to express themselves
freely in front of their classmates and teachers for fear of embarrassment.

Younger learners between the ages of six to nine feel at ease to ask
questions freely if they dont understand something whereas older
learners hardly ever ask any questions on things they dont seem to
understand. For example I have observed that students between the ages
of 11 and 12 ask their peers for help if they dont understand something
instead of turning to their teachers. However, older learners have a
longer concentration span whereas young learners lost their concentration
in activities that had anything to do with grammar work because they
found them difficult to follow and were disinterested in learning rules.
Children prefer short and easy tasks that will capture their attention.
According to the teachers as they grow older some students become more
talkative and talk a lot during class about irrelevant things without paying
any attention to the lesson and some even stop doing their homework
because they get easily bored and lazy. Younger learners are more
disciplined and obedient and remain easily motivated. The younger they
are the more willing to learn.

Another difference I found was in pronunciation. Younger learners were
much better than older learners declining the fact that pronunciation is
learned better by the older learners (section 2.3). Upon hearing new
words they liked to repeat them.
4.2 Discussion:
According to Petrides (2006), English is important for Cypriots for a
number of reasons, and pupils need to learn how to communicate in this
widely used language (Petrides 2006:13).
33
Task-based learning encourages learners to use the language they learn
by applying it in various communication tasks. Through my observations I
found that working in pairs or in groups can be effective as it gives
learners the opportunity to use the target language in the limits of a small
group or in pairs, without having the fear of saying something wrong and
be corrected in front of the whole class. It enables learners to interact
with each other and share their personal opinions as well as noticing how
others express meanings in a different way from their own (Willis 1996).
Ur (1991) points out that a task-based activity can be effective for
learners as they get to share their ideas and can find out others opinion.
In such activities there is more talk going on, more participation and
engagement. Children loved the activities where they had to work with
their partners and had the chance to interact with each other and
exchange their ideas. Task-based activities boost self-confidence and
help students to develop their personalities. Willis (1996) claims that
they can rely on co-operation with their fellow students to achieve goals
of the tasks mainly through use of the target language (Willis 1996:36).
What I have generally observed during my two weeks at the institution is
that in Cyprus the teachers focus more on skills that have to do with
grammar, reading, listening as well as speaking, but students speaking
abilities are rather weak in Cyprus because teachers give more emphasis
on the grammatical aspect of the language rather than the
communication side. Teachers in Cyprus might not be trained in applying
task-based learning because I have noticed that most of the time there is
a teaching-led interaction in the classroom and the learners have a
34
responding role which doesnt really help them to improve their speaking
skills. When I asked the teachers if their pupils prefer to work in pairs,
groups or individually they told me that most of them like working in
groups and this is positive as they learn from each other and get to
socialise but, there are some exceptions where students prefer to work
individually. The learners also had a limited target language production
and interaction in activities where they had to draw or describe pictures,
match and identify things. These are activities that lack of outcome and
have no communicative purposes (Willis 1996). In general the students
attitudes at the institution, towards English were mainly positive.
Students attitudes differ for each individual, some are more active and
some are less active but on the whole the learning environment was
positive.
When the students took a test on Passive voice they complained that they
could not understand it and that they couldnt finish the tasks because
they were too difficult for them. Learners easily give up when facing
difficulties and lose their patience.

Classroom management is really important so teachers try to create and
provide a positive learning environment in order to prevent misbehaviour
and negative attitudes towards learning. Students, who were participating
in tasks that were a bit difficult for them but at the same time engaged
their interests, were highly motivated.
Maintaining disciplines in class can be a real challenge due to the fact that
their attitudes vary. Boredom is a common sign that sets in and leads
learners to losing interest and motivation. When this happens students
are more likely to misbehave and pay less attention in class. Those who
35
participated actively throughout the whole lesson were spared from
boredom with resulting in them obtaining higher levels of efficiency. The
teachers supported second language learning by speaking mostly in
English using the mother tongue as little as possible and asked their
students to do the same. Although it was difficult for them to use English
in tasks that required logical assumptions, they were encouraged by their
teachers to keep using the L2 as much as possible. Teachers were mainly
interested in effort even if the answers were wrong. They also supported
their students through the different techniques they used. For instance
before carrying out a task they used examples so that students could link
them later on with the new task. They also encouraged students to guess,
like with the story with the tortoise and the hare where the teacher asked
them to guess who was going to be the winner of the race. This allows
students to become actively involved in thinking and practising what they
already know (vocabulary, grammar).
Learners at the age of 6 to 7 are very young and are just now learning
how to read and write in the second language as well as their first. At this
stage they learnt English mostly through songs, games, storytelling and
through other activities suitable for their age. So the use of English from
the learners perceptive was limited.

Older students for example at the age of 10 to 12 who had a greater
exposure and experience of using the English language were able to
communicate in a better way. For example they were able to talk and
describe things such as their schools, they could ask and give information
or directions (turn left, turn right, stop, go straightforward), they were
36
capable of making suggestions or decisions and give advice (you must,
you mustnt).
I have also noticed that the new technology such as the interactive
whiteboard and digital books provided the opportunity for learners to
acquire language in an enjoyable way. All the students were actively
involved and everyone wanted to write with the special pen on the
interactive whiteboard, they were so excited about it. According to SMART
technologies (2006:7) interactive whiteboards are garnering enthusiasm
and providing additional motivation for students to attend class.

The next section summarizes my research project.
SECTION 5: CONCLUSION
In summary, the purpose of my study was to investigate the
implementation of learning tasks in a Cypriot classroom, the motivation
and attitudes of young learners as well as the differences that arise from
the different age groups. I gathered my data through a classroom-based
observation and by interviewing some of the teachers at the private
institution I attended. Comparing my literature review along with the
outcome of my study, I encountered many similarities along with some
differences.
Young learners attitude at the private institution towards learning English
was mainly positive and seemed to enjoy being in the classroom. The
teachers motivated their students by using different methods, techniques
and sources that were relevant to their age.

Task-based learning on the other hand provided young learners the
opportunity to practise their speaking skills either in groups or in pairs and
helped them gain confidence.
37
The teachers chose the appropriate tasks and topics in order to
engage the learners interest and attention.

They encouraged their learners to build up their confidence and use
language in classroom without having the fear of saying something
wrong.
They associated learning with real life situations so that learners
could see the real values of learning.

Supported their pupils in many different ways.
Young learners enjoyed fun activities where they could be actively
involved but struggled and got bored with tasks based on grammar.
Learners, who are motivated and consider learning as something
useful in their life, will definitely perform better than those who are
not.
Young learners showed more eagerness in class than older ones.
Older learners lose their excitement and become easily bored.
Students speaking abilities are weak in Cyprus because teachers
emphasize mostly on the grammatical aspect of the language.
Limitations of my study:
Firstly, task- based learning is not given the attention that is required in
Cypriot classrooms as teachers in Cyprus would rather focus on grammar
instead of speaking. Also, I could have interviewed some of the students
to see their own point of view about learning a second language, but since
my study focuses on young learners it would have been difficult to get the
intended results . Furthermore, I wanted to interview more teachers at
the institution in order to gather more information but, as some of them
had limited free time I only managed to interview only three. Another
limitation was that I couldnt find any previous observation studies based
on a Cypriot classroom context.
Areas for further research:
38
First of all, my study focuses on young learners between the ages of 6 to
12, but it would also be interesting to observe older learners who are
considered to be more difficult to motivate.

Another interesting topic for further research would be to observe the
behaviours between young learners and older learners and in what
circumstances they are more likely to misbehave in class.
A suggestion that can be made is that teachers in Cyprus should
encourage their students to carry out tasks inside the classroom that they
would do in their everyday life, in order to make the language learning
meaningful and memorable. For example problem -solving tasks, sharing
personal experiences or role plays are tasks that have a specific outcome.
To achieve this outcome they would be focusing first on meaning, and
then on the best ways to express that meaning linguistically. (Willis
1996:24)
References:
Drnyei, Z. (1994). Motivation and motivating in the foreign
language classroom. Modern Language Journal,Vol 78,(3) 273-284.
39
Hadjikyriacou, Styliani, Androulla Englezaki, Sophie Ioannou-Georgiou, Pavlos Pavlou, Kleri
Kouppa, Maria Xanthou, Koula Christodoulou, and Yianna Rodiki-Petrides. "Pilot Curriculum
English as a Foreign Language in Cyprus Primary Schools (Years 16)."

Jones, G. (2006). Motivation and engagement in young learners: An
action research project. Available from:
http://oar.nipissingu.ca/PDFS/V912E.pdf
Littlewood, W. (2004). The task-based approach: Some questions
and suggestions. ELT journal volume 58/4, Oxford University
Press,pp.319-326
Mcllvain, A. (2001). Teaching English to Very Young Learners.
Pearson Longman
Michael H. Long (1990). Maturational Constraints on Language
Development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 12, pp 251-
285
Moon, J. & Nikolov, M. (2000). Research into Teaching English to
Young Learners. Hungary: University Press Pecs

Moon, J. (2000). Children learning English. Oxford: Macmillan
Publishers Limited
Petrides, R.J. (2006). Motivation and Motivating in the Foreign
Language Classroom. Vol.78, No.3 pp.273-284. Blackwell

Philips, S. (1993). Young learners. Oxford: Oxford university press
Scott, A.W. & Ytreberg H.L. (1990). Teaching English to Children.
New York: Longman

Skehan, P. (1998). A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning.
Oxford: Oxford University Press

Skinner A. E. & Belmont J.M. (1993). Motivation in the Classroom:
Reciprocal Effects of Teacher Behaviour and Student Engagement
across the School Year. Vol.85, No 4, pp. 571-581

SMART Technologies. (2004). Interactive Whiteboards and Learning:
A review of classroom case studies and Research Literature. SMART
Technologies Inc.
40
SMART Technologies. (2006). Interactive whiteboards and learning:
Improving student learning outcomes and streamlining lesson
planning. SMART Technologies Inc.

Ur, P. (1996). A course in Language Teaching: Practise and Theory.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Willis, D & Willis J. (2007). Doing task-based Teaching. Oxford:
Oxford University Press

Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Oxford
University Press: Longman

Wu, X. (2003). Intrinsic motivation and young language learners: the
impact of the classroom environment. Elsevier Ltd, pp. 501-517
APPENDIX
The interviews with the teachers:
1.1 Interview TEACHER A:
1) What ways do you use of making the classroom a positive
learning environment?
I always encourage my students to participate and answer any
questions no matter how wrong they are.

2) How do you motivate your pupils to want to learn English? I
try to relate the learning experience with real life so that they
recognise its values. I also use enjoyable learning activities to
engage their interest.
41
3) Do you think that pupils learn English as a Second Language
through being motivated?

Yes, the best students are often the ones who genuinely enjoy
learning English.
4) What kind of tasks do you use in your classroom?
I use different type of tasks such as dictation, reading listening and
speaking.
5) How much time do pupils consume to do an exercise or a
test?
Well, it depends on the students. It usually takes less than 5 minutes
for an exercise and 30 minutes for a test.

6) Do pupils prefer to work in pairs, groups or individually? Do
you think that they benefit from practising together,
independently of the teachers?

All students benefit while in a group when practising their speaking
skills. Generally students prefer team work, though there are a few
students who prefer working alone.

7) What kind of activities do children prefer in class?
They really enjoy reading and speaking.
8) How do you set the classroom up? Do you have any specific
routines with children?

I treat them as young adults instead of children.
9) Which activities engage childrens minds and which keep
them physically occupied?

They engage with activities such as solving crosswords, playing
games, listening to songs and anything that is fun.
10) Do you think that your pupils only enjoy English when
you use games or songs?
42
Most of the time yes.
11) What are the conditions you normally create which
support second language learning?

I try to create a friendly environment that is not limited to language
learning because life does not work that way.

12) What is your main teaching method to make things
easier for children?

My main teaching method is translating from English to Greek and I
try to use as many examples as possible.

13) What materials do you use in class?
Books and online resources.
14) How often do they have a test?
They have a test twice a semester.
15) What are the differences in attitudes between age
groups?
Younger ones are more willing and enthusiastic to work.
16) What factors are likely to influence the attitudes of
younger children aged 6 to 12?
It depends on how fun the lesson is. Sometimes they get bored with
grammar exercises.
1.2 Interview TEACHER B:
43
I do anything I can that will definitely capture my students attention
for example by telling them jokes, showing them videos and by
playing games in class.

2) How do you motivate your pupils to want to learn English?
I motivate them by giving examples where we need to use English
and by assigning them with enjoyable learning activities.


Yes. If they are not motivated they will just learn the basics.
I use grammar exercises, dictation, listening and speaking tasks.
test?
It depends on the exercise and on the students. Tests never take
more than 40 minutes.


Some students prefer to work individually though I personally feel
they can benefit a lot more through group work. Working in a group
is a great way to socialise.

They prefer activities where they have to identify, match items
and put things in order.
44
As soon as they get in the classroom they know they have to sign
the attendance card and place their books on the desks.


They engage with activities such as riddles and crosswords but
reading and writing tasks keep them physically occupied.
Yes of course, they get really excited and happy because they are
having fun.

I try to speak mostly in English and ask them to do the same. I also
show them videos and play games in English.

easier for children? (e.g. translation)

I give them examples and try to elicit the answer. Sometimes, when
teaching grammar I translate where necessary, so as to be sure
they understand.
I use the interactive whiteboard, books, hand-outs and dvds.
Approximately once a month.
groups?
45
As they grow older they become more talkative in class and some
students even stop doing their homework as they get increasingly
lazy and bored.
Well, their home status can sometimes influence their attitudes,
their friends, or even us their own teachers. They can also be
influenced by computer games as they become obsessed and get
bored with everything else.
1.3 Interview TEACHER C:
I use the interactive whiteboard which engage the students
attention, I play them songs and show them videos.

2) How do you motivate your pupils to want to learn English?
By providing them with a variety of enjoyable activities, such as
playing games, using fun worksheets, and by drawing and painting.


Yes because it is something foreign to them.
I use vocabulary exercises, grammar exercises, listening and
speaking tasks.
46
test?
It depends on the length of the exercise or test.

Most pupils like working in groups and I think that this is positive as
they learn from each other and become more confident.

They prefer identifying exercises, putting things in order, reading
stories and placing words in the correct sentence. In general they
prefer anything that involves them doing something creative.


I start the lesson with dictation, then I check their homework and
move on to grammar, reading, speaking and listening exercises.


Activities such as speaking and reading keep them engaged and
writing keeps them physically occupied.
No, most children up to the age of 10 enjoy most ways of learning.
47
I always try to create a friendly environment and support my
students to use English as often as possible without having the fear
of saying something wrong.

easier for children? (e.g. translation)

I try to give them lots of examples and use the mother tongue as
little as possible.
I use the interactive whiteboard, books, pictures, toys, games and
flashcards.
Once or twice a month depending on the age group.
groups?
Juniors are more easily motivated than older groups because older
learners get easily bored.
Being very sweet and nice to them always brings out the good in
them.
48

Task-Based Learning and Motivation of Young Learners in A Cypriot Classroom

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Task-Based Learning and Motivation of Young Learners

Ling301 Dissertation 2014

Department of Linguistics and English Language

In general this research project investigated how teachers in a Cypriot

Private Institute implement task-based learning for learners between the

and interviews from teachers. Firstly this study focuses on the

implementation of learning task in an L2 classroom, secondly, on the

The research revealed that task-based learning is not given the

appropriate attention that is required in Cypriot classrooms. More task-

based learning skills should be adapted in order to promoted students

their excitement and become easily bored.

SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Young Learners

2.4.1 How language teachers implement language learning tasks

3.1 Learning English as a second language in a Cypriot context

SECTION 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1.2 How young learners get motivated in an L2 classroom

1.1 Interview TEACHER A

completion of my dissertation. First of all I would like to thank my

supervisor Mrs Judit Kormos who guided me throughout the preparation of

encountered many difficulties.

allowing me to observe their classes and obtain all the necessary

the more holistic learners they will be. (Phillips 1993:7)

than older learners. They are enthusiastic, interested in experiencing a

new language and always prepared to enjoy activities, such as games,

that have a communicative value. Most researches, according to Willis

(1996), agree that if someone wants to learn a new language with

efficiency, he has to follow three important conditions rules: the exposure

of the language, the use of it and the motivation. It is important to

encourage learners, especially when they are young, to interact in class

by using the target language. Interaction offers the opportunity to

manage conversations on their own (Willis 1996). Second language

understood and when it is interesting to the learners. According to

Hadjikyriakou et al, there are many advantages when children start

them to have more positive attitudes towards learning a new language

than adults (Hadjikyriakou et al:4).

is considered as an activity that has a communicative purpose and a

of a classroom, but also in real life situations.

on understanding and carrying out the meanings in order to accomplish

task-based learning in a Cypriot classroom context, to see how young

from the different age groups.

characteristics of young learners, discuss some basic concepts regarding

-based learning and how teachers implement learning tasks.

describe how I collected my data (participants, instruments). In section 4

I introduce the results gathered from my observations which give the

answers to my three research questions and then discuss what I have

obtained from my research project.

SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

My literature review aims to cover the main topics of my research project

which are how L2 language teachers implement language learning tasks,

younger and older learners are.

characteristics of young learners and in the second section I discuss under

what circumstances young learners get motivated. In section three I point

teachers implement language learning tasks.

2.1 Young Learners

is at a very young age, because young learners can acquire a new

language much easier in contrast to an adult learner. According to Phillips

limited within the confinements of a classroom but may also be acquired

experience in different styles of learning.

For instance when they enjoy themselves in an activity they get

completely focused and they wish to carry on with it (Moon 2000:6). As

reported by Moon (2000:7), if young learners enjoy the learning

positive attitude towards learning and it is very important to praise them